Through Alice's Eyes
by ChelleyBean
Summary: AU - Things might have gone a bit differently if Alice had met Bella first.
1. Chapter 1

I didn't particularly like Trig, but I did not want to sit through algebra or geometry again

_Here's my first step into the __Twilight__ fandom. Thanks to Daddys Little Cannibal for agreeing to beta this for me. You should really check out her stories. She's got a little something for every taste in genre._

_As always, I don't own the characters nor do I own __Twilight_. _Someone with far more talent than I has claim to that._

* * *

I didn't particularly like Trig, but I did _not_ want to sit through algebra or geometry again. So, Trig it was. I sat at my desk with my paper, book and pencils, but my mind wasn't present. I was too worried about Jasper to concentrate on school. We were all trying to push the envelope, so to speak, between feedings in an exercise to try and increase his resistance, but I was afraid we might have gone too far this time. He was truly struggling, but Edward believed he was holding together relatively well. Still, ditching tomorrow for a hunting trip would likely be the better option.

There was an increase in whispers even I couldn't ignore. Looking up I saw that the new girl, Chief Swan's daughter, had walked in. Poor thing. It should have been obvious to everyone that she wasn't comfortable being the center of attention. Good thing I wasn't in the mood to socialize with the new girl. Jasper was more important to me and, considering that the only two vacant seats in the class were on either side of me, she should find sitting next to me a bit better. I returned my concentration towards trying to see if Jasper would continue to behave himself when a delightful, floral fragrance drifted to me. My throat started to burn and I snapped out of my musings to find that Bella had taken her seat. She smelled _divine!_ I was more than able to keep myself in check, of course, but it was a very good thing that Jasper wasn't here. I didn't know if he could have resisted.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, still looking nervous. Her eyes, deep and chocolate brown, flicked over towards me, locking with my gaze for just a second. She was able to look away, but I got pulled into something far different.

_Edward, lying on his back in 'his' meadow. His shirt was open and his skin sparkled in the sun. Bella sat near him, gazing at him in wonder. She reached out with one hand to trail her fingers gently over his hand._

_Edward pouncing at Bella, knocking her down onto the long sofa in his room and capturing her gently with his arms and legs. He grinned like an idiot, asking her what she thought now. She giggled, telling him that he was a very, scary monster._

_Bella sleeping in what must be her bed. Edward was there, holding her in his arms as she rested. He trailed his lips lovingly over her temple._

_Bella curled up with Edward on the large sofa in the 'media room' at our house. I was lying with my head in her lap, playing idly with Jasper's hair as we watched something on the television. Edward lifted Bella's hand up to kiss her fingers. His mother's ring glimmered against her translucent skin where it sat on her left hand._

"Miss Cullen!" The teacher's sharp voice brought me out of the vision. I rattled off the answer to his query easily. Predicting the future in math class was a cinch. Predicting people, that was hard, but right now I had the most wonderful glimpse into what could be. I could have shouted! I could have sung! I could have yanked Bella Swan out of her seat and waltzed with her around the room, but I refrained from doing any of these things because it would get another note sent back to Esme about my sometimes erratic behavior and might also scare Bella off my family completely.

She was Edward's! Well, she would be Edward's.

Esme was going to be thrilled!

Class ended and we all started to gather our things. Hopping over the bar connecting the flimsy desk to the back of my chair, and landed close enough that Bella couldn't immediately get out of her seat. "Hi. I'm Alice. Would you like a guide to your next class?"

She looked up at me, mouth slightly agape. I supposed I _had_ moved a bit too quickly, but she'd get over it. She'd have to learn to be quick on her feet if she were going to be a Cullen after all. "Uhm… sure."

I gave her one of my most winning, harmless smiles as I swept up her books and added them to my own. "So, what's next?" She was rummaging for her class schedule as we walked out of the classroom and into the hallway. I snatched it from her hand the second it cleared her bag and looked over the crumpled list. "Spanish. Useful, that. Then lunch. Can't help you much, there. School food is lousy no matter where you are." Or so I was told. The next entry had me smiling again. "You have the same biology class as my brother, Edward. I don't think he has a partner in there, and he's really good at it. You should try to sit with him if you can."

Then it happened again, only this time not as nice.

_Edward moving through the class with excessive speed, snapping the necks of the other students and the teacher so that he could take his time draining Bella dry._

_Edward following Bella out of class and offering to show her to the next class only so he could lead her away from the school and any potential witnesses._

_Edward making his way to Chief Swan's house, knowing he'd still be at work and that Bella would be all alone. Unprotected and helpless…_

No! No, no, no, no, no, no! Despair ripped through me as I realized I couldn't possibly let Bella go to class with Edward today. He was too hungry. We all were, really, but something about Bella was going to set him off. If I didn't do something to stop him, my idiot brother was going to ruin _everything!_

I gave her back her class list. "I'll show you where your Spanish class is, then I'll really have to run. History test today." Getting her to class was easy. Most humans have a natural aversion to us and the crowd parted without trouble. Once I had her safe and sound I made my good-byes and sped through the school to find Jasper. _He_ had gym and was just about to hit the lockers to dress down when I caught up with him, catching him by the elbow. "Still feeling ill?"

"What?" The shadows under his eyes were more pronounced than I would have liked. We really had gone a bit far with this experiment.

"You said you were feeling sick to your stomach, remember?" I put my hand to his forehead as though checking for a fever. A few of the other students glanced our way and walked on. "You feel warm. I think you should have Edward drive you home."

He looked about ready to protest, but he wasn't going to. He'd been with me long enough to know that it's better to just let me have my way than to try and go against me. Reshouldering his bag he followed me to find Edward. I pulled him out of English, another completely unnecessary class but a useful prop all the same. He was also looking a bit too hungry. I supposed that we all were. His brows knitted together as he ran his eyes over Jasper and then to me "What's wrong?"

Verbally I answered, "Jasper's still feeling bad. I think you should take him back home." Mentally I thought something else entirely. _You need to leave. Both of you need to go hunt and now._

I let him see only one of the images of him attacking Bella, choosing the one where he was leading her from the school. No blood. No snapped necks. Still close enough to our present location to hammer in how imminent the danger was. I got the results I was looking for. Edward looked as though I had hit him in the gut with Emmett's Jeep.

"You're sure?" His eyes were on Jasper, but the question was meant for me.

"Esme can come get the rest of us when school lets out." _I'm dead sure. Go hunt! A lot! You shouldn't be back here until Monday at the earliest._

Yes, Monday would be perfect. That would give me plenty of time to fill in Esme and for Edward to prepare to be in the same room with Bella Swan and still be able to control himself. I wasn't quite certain what was wrong just yet, but somehow I knew not eating Bella was going to be a challenge for him.

On the other hand, _eating_ Bella would be a disaster.

I followed them to the office where Edward charmed the secretary into giving them both a pass for the rest of the day and then to the double doors of the building. I stayed and watched until they were in the Volvo and Edward was driving away. If I needed to breathe I would have let out a pent up breath. In truth, I'd managed to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Jasper really was starting to have trouble holding on and Edward wouldn't murder Bella before he had a chance to realize that he loved her.

Feeling more like my usual, upbeat self, I turned to go back inside and face a history test I could have passed in my sleep. No matter. I had other things to occupy my mind now. After all, I had a wedding to start planning.


	2. Chapter 2

_As usual, I own nothing. I just like to take the characters out and play with them now and again. And another big thanks to Daddys Little Cannibal for giving the chapter a looksee before posting._

* * *

  


Esme had taken my news very well. She'd been putting together an elaborate gift basket to be raffled off by the ladies from the Garden Club (Esme does a very convincing job as the 'society wife') when I told her. She'd frozen perfectly still, the ribbon she was making into a bow held in each hand from under the basket, as she stared at me.

"You've seen Edward falling in love?"

I nodded. She sounded torn between disbelief and hope. After all this time she'd begun to wonder if perhaps Edward was what they call a 'late bloomer' when it came to things like romance; that he'd been too young when Carlise had changed him. It wasn't as though there hadn't been those who tried. The poor man couldn't walk down a sidewalk without half the women falling in love with him. Or at least in lust with him. He rarely noticed unless the girl was aggressive in her attentions, and those who were aggressive he let down in the most gentlemanly way possible.

"You're certain?"

"Well, the future's never _certain_. He'll either fall head-over-heels for her or eat her. It could still go either way." Esme made a choking noise, which I ignored. "But knowing Edward, love is more likely."

"Let us hope!" She quickly finished the bow atop the basket. "Who is she? What is she like?"

I perched myself atop a stool at the kitchen island where Esme was working. She set aside the finished basket and gathered what she would need for the next one. It really wasn't my thing, making baskets, but sometimes it was oddly comforting to do activities like this with Esme. She was the perfect mother figure for all of us, and even as cold and undead as we were, we all needed that little something she provided. Even Emmett. Making a gift basket for charity was a mundane, ordinary task that was rife with overtones of family bonding. I started tying a satin ribbon into a bow around the neck of a floppy eared toy dog.

"Her name is Bella Swan. Well, it's 'Isabella', really, but she doesn't like to go by her full name. She's Chief Swan's daughter."

Esme paused just a second before reaching for a package of pacifiers. The basket would have a 'baby boy' theme to it. "That… could be tricky." She was right, of course. I mean you don't just _change_ the chief of police's daughter. It wasn't as though her family was someone no one knew or cared about. A cop's daughter would be missed. This would take careful planning. "What does she look like?"

"Very slender. Very pale, almost as pale as we. Surprising, considering that she's from such a sunny place, but she doesn't strike me as the kind of person who tans very well. And she's got long, dark hair. Dark brown, but I believe she has some red in it. I had a vision of her sitting with Edward in his meadow and I saw the sun glinting off of it. Definitely a little red in there." I placed the toy into the back of the basket. As the largest item it would show up prominently there without hiding any of the smaller gifts. "She has brown eyes and classical features. If you pinned her hair up she'd look like a cameo."

Esme was smiling softly to herself. "She sounds lovely."

"She is. Not in today's style, of course, but someone from Edward's time would have fallen all over her, provided she didn't fall over herself first. She's a bit clumsy. I was watching her yesterday and I don't think she could manage to walk over a flat surface without tripping." I started to fold up cloth diapers into little animal shapes. "I'm thinking that the wedding dress should be fashioned somewhat like the early 1900s. She could definitely pull off the look without trouble and she would positively floor Edward."

"Aren't you rushing things a bit?"

"These things take time to plan, Mom." She loved it when we called her 'mom'. Nothing softened her up more quickly. "And it's not as though I'm going to haul in the minister tomorrow. Not even we could pull that off. I suppose we'll have to at least let her finish high school." That would give me a good eighteen months at least. Plenty of time to make all the arrangements by then.

"Of course," Esme interjected, "letting your brother to have time to actually _win_ the girl would help, too."

I felt my lips turn to a frown. She was right, of course. Edward would have to actually propose before we could have a wedding. "He can get started on that on Monday."

"Eddie can get started on what on Monday?" Emmett wandered through, his shirt streaked with dirt and grime. He'd been out in the garage helping Rosalie 'upgrade' her convertible.

I arranged my diaper animals artfully amongst cans of formula and empty bottles. "Edward's getting married."

Emmett paused in the middle of removing the soiled shirt. "Edward? Isn't he a eunuch or something?"

"Emmett!" Esme's voice was sharp and scolding as she frowned in his direction. I barely managed to keep from laughing. "Edward isn't anything of the kind and I can't believe you'd say that about your brother." I could. "Besides, Alice is getting a bit overexcited in this."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm right about this. He may fight it at first, but Edward's going to fall for her."

Emmett stripped off the shirt and tossed it on the back of a chair. He ignored the Esme's disapproving scowl. "Who's he falling for, then?"

"Bella Swan." I started to shimmy a cellophane bag over the basket to finish it off. "I saw it all when I met her in Trig. They'll look gorgeous together."

"Does he know?"

"Not yet. I sent him off with Jasper to hunt so he's in better control of himself when he meets her."

Emmett rubbed his jaw, his eyes speculative. "I don't know, Alice… Eddie's never really shown any interest in anyone before."

"This is different. He'll be interested in Bella." I tied a decorative bow onto the top of the bag, just like Esme had done with the one before.

"Enough to marry her?"

"Eventually." Esme took the finished basket and set it next to the other four she had made without my help. They were all quite nice, if you liked such things. The Garden Club should be able to get quite a nice penny for them once they auctioned them off. "What charity are these for, anyway?"

"The battered women's shelter in Olympia." Esme started to pick up the scraps and unused items. Her hand moved with blurring speed.

"Good one." I looked back at Emmett who still seemed to be digesting the information on Edward. "What?"

"Edward? Married? And isn't that girl human?"

"We all were at one time, Emmett, or did you forget that part? She'll have to become one of us, of course. Not right away, though. There's time." He still looked skeptical. "You don't believe me?"

Emmett hesitated a moment, then shook his head. "Nope. I don't think that I do."

I grinned and held out my hand. "Bet me."

Now my family - Emmett included - had long since learned that it was never smart to bet against me. However, Emmett liked to gamble so he was still an easy mark from time to time. He looked at my slender hand, less than half the size of those hams he called fists, and looked interested.

"What's the wager?"

"If Edward falls in love with Bella Swan, you have to get me a new motorcycle jacket. Leather." I paused to consider this a moment. "Yellow leather. With lots of buckles and zippers."

"Why do you need a motorcycle jacket? You don't have a motorcycle."

"Leave that to me. Is it a bet?"

Emmett looked _very_ interested, now. "What do I get when I win?"

"I'll go with you to Vegas for a weekend and help you at the tables."

Like I said; Emmett _likes_ to gamble. He grinned broadly and shook my hand. "It's a bet."

Silly Emmett.

Esme shook her head as Emmett left the room. "I worry about the pair of you, sometimes." She snatched up the discarded shirt out of habit.

I grinned and gave her a hug as I walked around the island. "It's all in good fun, Esme. It's either this or we have wrestling matches and wreck the living room again. I'm off. I'll be home later."

"Where are you going?"

"Over to Chief Swan's to see if Bella can help me with Trig." I didn't _need_ the help, of course, but it was a perfect excuse to get to know my future sister. "And I want to invite her to Olympia with me tomorrow. Someone needs to show her around." Not to mention it would keep me out of the house when Edward and Jasper got home. Let Emmett run off at the mouth and tell our brother about his happy future first. He could take the brunt of the damage while I was seeing how big of a dent I could make in our bank account.

Perhaps Bella needed a new outfit for school Monday. Something in blue. I think Edward would like her in blue.


	3. Chapter 3

I learned something very useful about Bella while I had been pretending to struggle with Trig; she was a sucker for a guilt trip. If she had any genuine feelings of like towards you, a doe-eyed expression and a little quiver to the bottom lip would have her willing to do almost anything to make you smile again.

Good thing for me, because she also apparently had an unnatural aversion to shopping. She acquiesced only because I looked so dejected when she tried to refuse. Well, that and because she really didn't have much in the way of clothing that was suitable for the weather in Forks.

She didn't care for my driving, either. Chief Swan had apparently turned his daughter into a stickler for traffic laws, especially the ones involving speed. I only laughed and kept driving just as I was, confident that I'd see any potential speed traps in plenty of time to slow down.

We arrived at a fashionable shopping area and were fortunate to find a prime parking spot open. Edward's Volvo slid into place easily. I had no qualms about borrowing it while he was out with Emmett. Bella gave a sigh of relief that the trip was over. "Do you always drive like that?"

My grinned could not be contained. "I like going fast."

"You do know that speed limits are there for a reason, right?"

"I've never gotten a ticket." She looked a little green about the mouth, but I was certain she'd be all right soon. "Come on. Let's do some damage."

Bella got out of the car, looking around her. "Alice… I… don't think I'm even dressed nice enough to go into some of these places."

"Don't be silly. You look fine." I slipped an arm through one of hers and tugged her firmly towards the shops. The sidewalk was smooth and well kept, but that didn't stop Bella from tripping over her own toes. Thankfully I had the speed and the strength to keep her upright when she was about to go sprawling. "Careful or someone might accuse me of getting you drunk." Her cheeks were stained with a blush. She did that far too easily. Thank goodness Edward had listened to me about hunting.

"Alice… I don't really have that much to spend."

"No matter, I'm the champion at finding bargains." I was, actually. I just didn't bother most of the time. "We'll hook you up. By the time we're through, you'll even out-style Rosalie. And trust me that's saying something."

She didn't look convinced, but I was not going to let her off the hook now. I had hunted after leaving her house the night before so I was relatively safe to be around for the day, even with the tasty morsel currently linked arm-in-arm with me. I intended to make the most of our time together and get to know this girl who would one day be a member of our family.

It was about an hour later that I learned that she had a very difficult time accepting gifts. Extremely difficult. Unbelievably difficult.

The boutiques here were a bit high priced but I had been prepared to pay for everything. Thankfully my 'gift' fired up and I saw the likely outcome of how Bella would respond before I opened my mouth. She wasn't someone who was used to having a lot of money. Such a person would either be happy to accept expensive presents or would be too prideful to welcome them graciously.

Bella was the latter.

"Why don't you go try on this one?" I handed her a sapphire blue cashmere sweater. It would look heavenly on her. She, however, glanced at the price tag and blanched. Everything in here was more than she was able to afford if she wanted an extensive wardrobe. I affected a sigh. "Bella, just try it on." I turned her around and gave her a shove towards the dressing rooms.

The sales girl hovering nearby gave a quick glance towards the now empty doorway. She had a condescending air that would normally have me taking my money elsewhere, but this time I was feeling generous. I stepped up to her gracefully, my smile calculating. "You know what?"

The sales girl blinked and looked at me in askance. "Pardon?"

My smile turned beaming. "You're going to ring my friend up first. And, you know what else? Everything is on the most amazing sale."

Her expression turned somewhat disdainful. "It _is_?"

I reached into my handbag and plucked out my gold card, twirling it in my fingers so she could see. "A _fantastic_ sale. I think everything she's picked out should run a total of somewhere between… sixty and eighty bucks? All of mine is full price, of course, damn the luck." I saw comprehension dawn on her. "Don't worry. I'll distract her so she doesn't see you tack on the rest. Deal?"

The sales girl nodded. "It's a very good sale, actually. We need to clear out as much inventory as possible in order to make room for the new season."

"Oh, of course." I nodded in all serious agreement, hearing Bella return. She stopped and examined herself in the triple mirror just outside the dressing rooms. The longing in her eyes was almost heartbreaking. I gave a squeal and clapped enthusiastically. "Oh, Bella, it's _perfect!_"

She sighed and looked my way. "Alice, it's not for me." Translation; it's too expensive.

"Nonsense! It's completely you. You should grab that one, too. Amy here was just telling me about their end-of-season sale going on. Most of what you've picked out is way less than the price tag. We'll just let her ring it all up and see."

For a moment I was afraid she wouldn't buy into it, but in the end she agreed. And, low and behold, she only had to pay out sixty-five twenty-nine for what would have originally come to a bit over six hundred, got to love those end-of-season sales. They were such good prices that I had Bella check a table of silk blouses to see if they had a lavender one in my size while my own purchases were being tallied. They didn't, unfortunately.

I had to be more creative at the next two places, but after that she was getting so tired of shopping that she was willing to go along with anything I told her as long as it got us out of the store more quickly. I could tell that this really wasn't her thing, so I apparently was not going to get another shopping buddy once she was a Cullen. Too bad. I was hoping to have someone other than Rosie to take with me. Not that I didn't like Rosie; I just got tired of pulling her away from the mirrors all the time.

As twilight was fast approaching we had filled the trunk and part of the back seat of Edward's car with our purchases. Bella squeaked through the day for under seven hundred, leaving her more than half of the money she had come to Forks with (she had been planning to use it for a new car, but Chief Swan had beaten her to that by getting her that monstrosity she called a truck) and a full wardrobe to show for it. She had put her foot down, metaphorically speaking, about my choice in shoes. She refused anything with more than an inch in heel, but considering how prone she was to falling over I could understand that.

We stopped at a little café for dinner. I had forgotten all about that part until I heard Bella's stomach rumbling. She ate her baked salmon with rather good manners while I picked at my salad and chattered on about the different outfits she had picked up and putting in my suggestions of what to wear and when.

"I really think you should wear that blue cashmere on Monday. It would look lovely with the darker jeans and you could pull your hair back a bit. Those combs we found at that last place would match perfectly."

"You really get into all this, don't you?"

"Of course! How can you not?" I shook my head at her. "You're a very pretty girl, Bella. You shouldn't hide yourself like you do."

She frowned, looking a bit uncomfortable for a moment. "Uhm… Alice… you're not… into girls are you?"

I couldn't keep the laughter back. "What? Of course I'm not! Why would you even think that? Did the school gossips fail to tell you that I'm with Jasper?" She blushed beet red again and I giggled. "I'm more than secure enough in my own sexuality to admit when I think another girl is attractive. I mean, you _did_ see my sister, didn't you? The blond goddess? Try living with _that_ every day of your life."

She seemed to find the idea funny, or at least was able to commiserate with me. If I weren't fully aware of why Rosalie was so beautiful, I'd have just as much trouble with my self-esteem as every other girl who ran across her.

I killed time until Bella was finished with her meal before paying for our check, refusing to let her pick up even half. I did, however, let her put in the tip just to make her feel better about it. With my new friend fully fed and the Cullen family funds a smidge lighter, we headed back towards Forks. It was full dark and I had to get her home before her father began to worry.

* * *

I kept Bella and Edward in my thoughts all throughout Monday. He had trouble, that much I knew, but he managed to hold back fairly well. Hunting over the weekend had done him good and given him enough self-control that he was able to keep himself in check.

It wasn't easy, by any means. A couple of violent glimpses that almost has me running from my class to get him were proof enough of that. Bella's scent tugged at the beast inside him enough that he actually contemplated throwing away everything we had built here just to taste her.

But he didn't.

I was waiting for him after his class, seated atop the hood of his Volvo with a pleased smile. He stopped, looking at me with wide eyes that were the same shade as my own. "You knew." It was an accusation.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I knew. I showed you when I pulled you out of class and sent you hunting with Jasper, remember?"

He looked like he could kill me, and quite cheerfully. "You could have _warned_ me! I came damn close to slaughtering everyone in that classroom!"

"Ah, but you didn't. You resisted." I tilted my head to one side, studying him closely. "So tell me, what is it about her? I could see that you would have trouble resisting her, of course, but I couldn't see why."

Edward's hands clenched into fists and he looked as if he wanted to hit something, anything. "It's… the smell of her." He sighed and leaned against the car. "She's intoxicating. I caught her scent and I knew… nothing would be as sweet."

"She does smell yummy, but I didn't get that big of a pull towards it." I pondered this carefully. "We'll have to ask Carlisle about that. Maybe he'll know."

"I'll have to leave."

I straightened up quickly. He couldn't do that! "Oh no, you don't!"

"Alice, I can't be around her. I'm only putting her danger if I do. I'll be putting us all in danger."

"That's absurd, Edward. You resisted, didn't you?" He was serious! I could see him leaving, going back to Alaska. Avoiding Fork until Bella was cold and dead in the ground from old age rather than risk attacking her.

I'd lose my bet with Emmett!

Drastic times called for drastic measures. And this was a drastic time. So I called up the other visions I'd had when I first met Bella and the few I'd seen while shopping with her over the weekend. The visions of Edward happy and content with an adoring Isabella snuggled close into his side. I made extra certain that he saw the one where she was wearing his mother's ring.

Edward jerked away, taking in a hissing breath as he stared at me in wide-eyed disbelief. I smirked, leaning forward and propping my chin upon one of my fists. "Pretty, isn't it?"

"You're mad." He shook his head at me. "The visions have finally driven you insane."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Like that's news." I reached out with my foot and gave him a nudge. "You want it. You know you do."

"It's not possible, Alice."

"Anything's possible, Edward. Besides, this is fate. You and Bella are meant for one another."

"It's _not_ possible." He seemed to think that repeating himself would make it true. I narrowed my gaze at him as he turned away, his fingers running through his hair in frustration.

"Bet me."

He turned back around. "What?"

I reached behind me and pulled out the magazine I had been browsing as I waited for Edward to come out. Now I folded it open to an advertisement and held it up for Edward to see. "This is the BMW K 1200 LT. When you fall hopelessly in love with Isabella Swan, you have to buy me one."

"You want a motorcycle."

"Yep."

"Why not just buy one for yourself?"

"Because it'll be more fun getting it from you after you realize that you're fighting a losing battle."

He shook his head in disbelief. "That certain, are you? And if I prove it's not possible?"

I sighed. "If you can't love her, or just eat her, then I'll personally remodel the west outbuilding into your own personal music studio." He'd wanted to do it for some time now but had never gotten around to actually doing anything about it.

Of course, I also noticed that where I had said 'when' he fell in love with Bella he had answered with an 'if' when it came to not being possible. Do I know my brother or what? Part of him wanted to be in love, just like everyone else in our family. I knew it was hard on him, being the single person in a house filled with couples.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Only an idiot would bet against you."

"Oh, good, then you're admitting I'm right. That'll do if you won't bet me." I closed the magazine, smiling.

"I didn't say you were right."

"If I'm not right then why won't you take the bet?"

He growled. It was all I could do not to giggle as he stalked forward and shook my hand.

It really was just like shooting fish in a barrel.


	4. Chapter 4

Edward was cheating.

Of course, not everyone might consider completely avoiding Bella whenever possible to be 'cheating', but I did.

He had to be in Biology with her, of course, but he still kept as much distance between himself and his 'lab partner' without being overly rude. He still wasn't making an effort to be civil towards her, though.

Unfortunately for him (and quite fortunate for me), my vision hadn't changed.

Clearly it fell to me to keep Bella from forming the wrong impression about my family. I mean, I couldn't very well let her think that my siblings were all rude, condescending bores, could I? If we gave her the proverbial cold shoulder then other, less deserving individuals might snatch her out from under us.

By that I mean people like Jessica.

I never really paid much attention to her. She was petty and untrustworthy. The girl was friendly towards Bella because it was beneficial to her own social standing to be so. The moment that was no longer the case she would likely turn against her. Not at all the type of person that Bella should waste her time with.

And the fact that she was always eager to gossip about my family didn't do anything to endear her to me either.

Still, they sat at the same table during lunch, along with Angela, who was a far better person and a potential Bella-friend I _could_ approve of, and a couple of boys who mistakenly believed they had a chance at winning the new girl's heart.

As if I'd ever let _that_ happen.

"Hey!" I sat my lunch prop down next to Bella and sat down. "You look great. I told you that top was perfect for you." I'd been right, of course. No one ever dressed by me was less than outstanding.

More than a few pairs of eyes stared at my break from tradition, and not just those belonging to my siblings. I heard Rosalie's muted whisper, inaudible to human ears; drift over as she asked what I thought I was doing. I ignored her and greeted the other faces at the table before grilling Bella on how she was settling in.

She seemed to be adjusting fairly well, though anyone paying attention could see that she wasn't entirely thrilled with being in Forks. It was far colder here than what she was used to and far wetter. She thanked me for taking her shopping the previous week which gave me the perfect opening to wheedle another excursion with her for an undetermined future date. Maybe we'd take Rosie with us this time.

On second thought…maybe not.

We'd take Jasper and Edward. They could act as pack mules for us while I towed Bella around. Whether they wanted to or not.

"I heard you got put with Edward for Biology." She grimaced. Not a good sign. "Something wrong?"

Color flooded her cheeks. "I don't think your brother likes me very much."

_That's because he's an idiot._ I waved her concern off with a hand. "I wouldn't read too much into it. Edward's a musician. He _likes_ to play the part of the tortured, angst-ridden artist."

Sniggers drifted towards me from the table where the others sat. Even Rosalie enjoyed my barb. Edward turned in his seat to glare at me, ignoring the fact that he wasn't supposed to be able to hear me from over there.

I ignored him instead.

My first attack, for that was exactly what lunch had been – an attack, worked rather well. Only the most stalwart (and social climbing) would feel comfortable getting close to Bella now that it was clear she had some connection to the Cullens. It didn't matter that nature of that connection was ill-defined. The natural instincts of most people were to avoid us, not get close to us, so now people would be inclined to avoid Bella in order to continue avoiding us.

Brilliant! Even if I must say so myself.

The next day I got to the cafeteria first and selected a table off to the side. It was in clear view of where my siblings would be seated and still away from where Bella's usual crowd would be. The moment she arrived I called out to her and waved her over. She grabbed her modest lunch and joined me, giving a confused look towards the other table.

"Uhm…. Feeling anti-social today?"

"A bit," I grinned across the table at her. "I don't think your friends like me very much."

The concept seemed foreign to her. "I… well… I sort of got the impression that you don't talk to people outside of your family very often." She gave a shrug. "I like you. You're easy to like."

She was so sweet! "Thank you. I like you, too." She blushed again. "I was wondering if I could come by your house again tonight."

She looked up from peeling an orange. "Trig again?"

"Well, that and I wanted to try some things with your hair." It was like having a life-sized doll to play with. Even if Edward did somehow manage not to fall in love with Bella, I was definitely keeping her.

Not that he was going to succeed, of course. My visions were still solid.

She, however, didn't look too convinced about playing dress up. "I… sure. What time will you be over?"

"About seven, I think. I don't want to crash dinner." She cooked the meals in the home, which was probably a good thing. It meant Chief Swan would have something besides whatever he grabbed at the drive-thru or heated up in the microwave. I still wasn't fully convinced that those contraptions were healthy. "Unless Rosie wants to come, then we may be over a bit earlier so she can look at your truck."

I saw Rosalie straighten up and look my way. She probably didn't appreciate me volunteering her time. Bella frowned. "Why would she want to look at my truck?"

"She was complaining about how loud it is." We all were. "She could see if there's something she can do about it."

Bella frowned. "Rosalie?" I nodded. She looked over her shoulder at Rosalie who met her eyes for only a moment before looking away, allowing Bella to turn back to me. "Rosalie." She repeated, she sounded skeptical.

"Don't let the beauty queen demeanor fool you. She's an artist when it comes to mechanics." She didn't look as though she believed me. She probably didn't. "She really is."

Edward's voice drifted to me, barely more than a whisper. _"Alice, don't drag Rosalie into this._"

I fought back a smirk. My darling brother apparently didn't realize that if he was going to cheat by avoiding Bella as much as possible, then I was more than happy to play as dirty as I liked. I knew he was waiting for me to think of an answer, listening to my thoughts to hear it, so I let him see some of the more recent flashes of might be that I had encountered.

_Bella attempting to get her keys back from Edward as she tried to argue for the right to drive wherever it was they were planning to go._

_Edward playing his piano in our home with Bella seated on the bench beside him. Esme was watching them both from off to the side, her smile joyful._

_Bella's hair spread out over her pillow as…._

Edward came close to knocking his tray off the table in shock. Emmett reached out quickly to catch it before it had a chance to land and make a scene.

Oops.

Probably should have censored that last one.

Although I did wonder if Bella was actually that flexible.

"So," I resumed while looking across the table at my new friend, "seven?"

"Sure. Seven works."

And it did work. She was pretty bright so we finished up the trig assignment in short order, allowing me to spend a lot of time experimenting with her curtain of long, dark hair. Nothing too elaborate or difficult to manage on her own and it did give me plenty of time to get her to talk a bit about herself. I knew her favorite color changed daily but that her favorite gemstone was topaz. (I couldn't hide my grin when a quick flash of vision showed me the reason behind that particular bit of information). Her taste in music was almost as eclectic as Edward's and she missed Phoenix terribly though she was glad to be able to spend more time with her father.

Day three of my campaign again took place in the cafeteria.

I waited for Bella and called her over to the table I'd picked out. Then, just as he was half-way across the room, I called out to Edward.

He froze, looking over to me. I could tell that he really wanted to be rude and continue on to join the others, but he didn't want to put up with me later. Resigned to a good half-hour or more of torment he changed direction and walked over to join us.

"You know Bella, don't you?" He nodded, giving her no more than a quiet 'hello.'

Bella shifted in her seat, her cheeks flooding with color.

Edward made it a point not to look at her.

Mule-headed, the both of them.

I tried to drag them both into the same conversation, but Edward was being particularly difficult. Normally this would not have bothered me too greatly, he was usually only one step below Rosie when it came to being stubborn, but this time I had reason to worry as my visions of Bella as a primary part of his future were starting to waver.

I'd pushed too hard. I was losing her!

I scrambled quickly for something to do or say that might repair the damage, only dimly aware that I was still rambling on. I didn't even know if what I was saying made any sense (likely not) but I had to keep talking or one or both of them might think we were done and get up from the table.

Well, Bella might think we were done. Edward would be smarter than that, only I couldn't be certain he'd stay out of politeness.

There had to be something. _Anything_. I genuinely adored Bella and Edward had been alone for far too long.

And I didn't _want_ to go to Vegas!

I heard the mutters of my siblings from across the room urging me to slow down or shut up all together. They feared I was drawing attention to myself, but I still hadn't found an answer. I continued on, trying to hide my dismay as the images of Bella and Edward together became dimmer and dimmer.

I stopped when a warm hand reached out and gripped my wrist. Bella's voice cut through the din. "Alice!" I stopped, looking at her wide eyes. "How much sugar did you have this morning?"

I blinked at her, wondering where that question might have come from.

She shook her head. "You're acting like a pixie on crack!"

Less than a second later all eyes in the cafeteria were on us, I could hardly blame them. I don't think any of the other students had ever heard Edward laugh like that.

Come to think of it, I couldn't remember a time I had heard him laugh like that.

And, like magic, the visions repaired themselves.

I let out a sigh of relief that was only audible to me and the other Cullens before taking up my tray. "I'm done." I rose from my seat, ignoring Bella's sudden look of concern as I walked away. I gave Jasper a nod, signaling him to follow as I decided to ditch the rest of the school day and spend some quality time with my husband. I heard Bella and Edward behind me.

"Alice, I didn't mean anything…"

"It's all right. She's not angry with you. I assure you." Edward's words were still warmed by a chuckle. "She just wants to give me time to apologize for being as rude as I have been this past week. May I have your permission to start over? I'm Edward Cullen. It's a pleasure to meet you."

After that, I only had to let nature and love take their natural course. It didn't take long, only about another week.

Victory is so sweet, and my taste of it came the morning that Rosalie ended up driving us to school because Edward had left early to pick up Bella. I walked with my siblings towards the garage with a well-earned smirk on my lips as the door opened up.

"By the way, Emmett, you owe me a jacket." He froze in place for a second, gaping at the shiny motorcycle in silence before letting out a stream of curses.

I ignored him and walked forward as I offered to give my husband a ride to school.

The End


End file.
